Whiskered Tern Breeding Records Across Southern Africa

140 breeding records from seven southern African countries, compiled from historical and modern sources by Jonah Gula. The dataset maps breeding distribution and seasonality for the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida), revealing complex regional dynamics. Mean nesting colony size was 16.1 ± 14.6 nests across the breeding range.

Use Cases

• Map breeding distribution patterns based on the collated records across seven countries.
• Analyze breeding seasonality based on the described seasonal patterns in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia.
• Study colony size dynamics based on the reported mean and standard deviation of nesting colony size.
• Investigate regional movement patterns based on the inferred opportunistic breeding and late rainy season nesting.

Strengths

• 140 breeding records provide a foundational count for analysis.
• Records span seven countries, offering a regional perspective.
• Mean colony size (16.1 ± 14.6 nests) is a concrete statistical measure.
• Exhaustive search of historical and modern sources suggests thorough compilation.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is very small (24.7 KB), indicating limited scope.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Exhaustive search of historical and modern sources.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-22 00:10:10; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Africa (seven countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia)